Chocolat Alprose
SA

Lugano, population 50,000, is situated near the Swiss/Italian
border. Cycling 10 miles from downtown brings me to Caslano,
a tidy village of 3,500 inhabitants on the shores of picturesque
Lake Lugano. I'm looking for Chocolat Alprose and it's not very
difficult to find thanks to the colorful life-size statues of
cows scattered on the grounds and atop the roof of the two-story
headquarters/factory. Also atop the roof on the front and backside
of the building are signs spelling out Chocolat Alprose SA in
red and white lettering. So, why the colorful signs and the highly
visible cows? It might be to lure people driving by to stop and
visit the onsite Alprose chocolate museum.

About 20 feet separates the entrance from the chocolate museum
to the entrance of Alprose. I first walk over to the chocolate
museum and find out one has to pay an entrance fee so I decide
to wait and see if my visit to the company yields a tour. The
front door to Alprose's offices is locked and inside I can see
a receptionist a few feet away from the door. I knock on the
glass door and the receptionist just looks at me. I yell through
the door that I'm here to visit the company and he just keeps
pointing over to the chocolate museum. Evidently the door is
locked because people mistakenly think it's the entrance to the
chocolate museum. Just when I'm about to lose my cool, the receptionist
opens the door-not to let me in but to let another man in. Jeez,
I have to practically put my foot in the door to stop him from
closing it in my face.

Now inside, I explain who I am and my mailing a letter of introduction
a month earlier to Roger Buerli, Head of Sales. The receptionist
says Buerli is definitely here because that's the man he just
opened the door for when I was trying to get in. While the receptionist
makes a call I glance around the very tiny lobby. It's no-frills
with the furnishings consisting of five chocolate-colored chairs
squished together. No coffee table, nor chocolate samples for
visitors, magazines, plants, flowers or paintings.

Though Buerli says he hadn't received the letter of introduction
he agrees to answer my questions. Built in 1983, about 120 people
work here in the head office/factory. Employee parking is free
and plentiful, smoking isn't allowed in the workplace and there's
no company cafeteria but, employees can bring their own food
and eat in break room. Though there's no onsite recreational
facilities it's only a few blocks walk to the picturesque shores
of beautiful Lake Lugano. Those who cycle to work enjoy covered
parking for their bicycles. There's no formal dress code, it's
a 15 minute drive to the nearest freeway and 15 minutes to the
airport.

Buerli occupies a second floor corner office. What's the view
out his window? An unexciting vista of the parking lot.

I've visited most of the companies listed as members of Chocosuisse,
the Union of Swiss Chocolate Manufacturers. So, I'm surprised
to learn from Buerli that Alprose is part of Barry Callebaut,
the world's biggest producer of industrial chocolate. Barry Callebaut,
with over $3 billion in revenues, owns several well-known names
in chocolate including Stollwerk in Germany (who I visited in
1999) and Brach's in the United States. In 2002 I visited Barry
Callebaut's head office in Zurich and received an excellent reception.
There's no mention on Alprose's website mention of its connection
with Callebaut and it enjoys a separate listing on the Chocosuisee
membership list.

I don't receive an invitation to visit the chocolate museum but
do receive one bar of chocolate from Buerli. So, after leaving
Buerli I head over to check out the museum. Part of the museum
complex includes a company store (open to the public) selling
Alprose's full line of chocolate goodies The admission price
includes a self-guided tour of the factory.